1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of separating a component from a row of components, in which the row of components is displaced in a continuous form over an elongate track in a supply direction into a separation device, after which a component, after the row has come to a standstill, is separated from the row in the separation device and is then discharged from a presentation position. The invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The term "components" is to be understood to mean electrical components or articles corresponding thereto in form and weight and suitable for transport over a track, which will be described more fully hereinafter.
A method of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph and an apparatus for carrying out this method are known from European Patent Application EP-A1-0301691. In this known method, after the whole row has come to a standstill, a component is separated from the row in the separation device in that the remaining row of components is withheld for an even longer time, while the component to be separated is displaced further in the supply direction and is brought to a standstill in the presentation position.
A disadvantage of the method mentioned above is that the component to be separated must be twice brought to a standstill before the component is discharged from the presentation position. This is time-consuming and is consequently often undesirable in automatized processes. Since the apparatus necessary for carrying out the known method has two stops mutually separated in position and coupled to each other, the known apparatus is unnecessarily complicated.